There are three different variations or subsets in the Canadian
series number 2, Animals of North America. People talk about this series and the
say things like "double L" or "47 millimeter (MM)" or
"49 MM" or "wide" or "narrow". What the heck is
that all about?

Lets look at one card in the series in detail and see if we
can figure things out. I chose the #21 card, Fisher. Let's start with the front.
It's the same on all of them.

The front of number
21, Fisher...

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OK, the first of the three variations
has a reference on the text side to a man who co-authored the words, Rolland
Dumais. In this version, his name is spelled properly with 2 "L"s. How
do I know that is the way Rolland spells his name? I looked in the album for
series 2 and saw his signature. A very clear double L.

Ro"ll"and
Variation...

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the man himself

his signature

So the next variation has the miss-spelling of poor Rolland's
name. This time it is "Roland", with only one "L". But wait,
there are two different types of miss-spellings. There is a narrow one and a
wide one. They are also called the 47 MM and 49 MM variations. What about the
Ro"ll"and variation. Is it wide or narrow? It's narrow. Is it 47 MM or
49 MM? It's 47 MM, always (unless you find another variation!) Lets look at the
47 MM narrow Roland first.

Ro"l"and
47 MM Variation...

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Ro"l"and
49 MM Variation...

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Hmmmm. There doesn't seem to be to much difference between the
47 MM and the 49 MM. What are you talking about, Bill? Help me out here. I just
don't get it.

Wide vs. Narrow, 49
MM vs. 47 MM...

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Ohhhhh! I get it now, it's the inside measure from bar to bar.
The cards are exactly the same size, just the distance from bar to bar is
different. Some people might say that collectors have too much time on their
hands.

This page is about the Canadian cards but we might as well
throw in a quick one on the US versions. There are just two kinds of US series 2
cards. One is black and the other is blue. The blacks all say Ro"l"and
and are 49 MM. The blues all say Ro"l"and and are 47 MM.

So there are 5 different complete sets in series 2. Wow!
That's a lot of collecting!

Lastly, there are
"error" cards in this series, but they are solid across a variation.
Let me explain. The error card #36 Wapiti vs. Wapiti (Elk) gets broken down this
way:

Canadian Ro"ll"and - Wapiti (Elk)

Canadian Ro"l"and 47 MM - Wapiti (Elk)

Canadian Ro"l"and 49 MM - Wapiti

US Black backed - Wapiti (Elk)

US Blue backed - Wapiti (Elk)

So you can see that it is really not an error card but an
error variation. The only Wapiti you will see without the (Elk) is the 49 MM
Canadian card. You cannot find a 49 MM Canadian card that says Wapiti (Elk).
Confused yet? Let's keep going.

The number 46 card, Fur
Seal, has two variations, one text refers to four countries whilst the other
refers to three countries. What's the spread on that one Bill?

Canadian Ro"ll"and - Four
Countries

Canadian Ro"l"and 47 MM - Three
Countries

Canadian Ro"l"and 49 MM - Three
Countries

US Black backed - Three
Countries

US Blue backed - Three
Countries

So you see that the lines between variations and errors can
blur sometimes. It is not always as easy as saying that an error effects one
card while a variation effects an entire series. There is frequently more to the
story!